Tales of Sunshine – Sundari Venkatraman

A ray of sunshine is a powerful pick-me-up, that warms the cockles of the heart, and Sundari Venkatraman has used this little truth to create her latest anthology titled ‘Tales of Sunshine’.  From the eye-catching cover itself, which is a cornucopia of pleasant little snapshots, to the stories within, she takes care that enough sunshine is showered on her readers.

The narrative is simple, and the words chosen with care, fly off the storyteller’s pen with ease. Whether it is the large-hearted Raj who lays off people in his company by offering them a wonderful sop in ‘A Ray of Sunshine’, or the smart, high-flying Rekha who finds an unexpected solution to her own domestic problem in ‘Until Death Do Us Apart”, the reader is carried along. Sundari touches upon the dilemma faced by modern-day students whose parents and loved ones expect too much of them in the choices they make in life. Preeti finds herself akin to “a bone that was being fought over by a couple of ferocious dogs” in ‘Life Goes out Of Control’, as Kiara strives to make her son, Aarush happy in ‘Breaking Free from the Mould’, a truly exemplary tale. While ‘Exam Fever’ leaves the reader with a smile, ‘Is Grandpa Home?’ evinces a tear. ‘The Elephant in the Room’ is another well-written story that evokes a sense of familiarity, as it deals with a problem that is all too real. ‘A Promise Given’, ‘Day Dreaming Mercenary’ and ‘Rakesh Nath’s Recovery’ are examples of what the anthology is all about – human interest.

Sundari Venkatraman has proved, yet again, the felicity of her writing style. This book , her seventh so far, uncomplicated and doused with sunshine, strikes the right chord with the readers.